A study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that fly fishing is hazardous to your health. This is the conclusion formed by a group of Johns Hopkins doctors who studied over 8,000 fly fishermen and women, dating from 1880. The study, considered to be a landmark in behavioral medicine, found that the mortality rate in fly fishermen is 100%. When asked to comment on the study, Doctor Arafat Johnson of Johns Hopkins, explained:

"We first began to wonder about this phenomena due to reports from various states that fly fishermen were dying. We began the study by confirming this, and then began to isolate potential causes. We have found, conclusively, that flyfishing is a leading cause in the mortality of fishermen. We looked at anglers who had used flyrods for at least 60 years and found that they were all dead. There were a few anglers who had used flyrods for 50 years, and a few more for forty years, that were still alive. In fact, when plotted on a simple graph, the trends definitely show that the longer one fishes with a flyrod, the more likely it is they will die!"

Dr. Johnson went on to explain: "But we do not believe the high rates of mortality to be due purely to flyfishing. We are starting to see an increase in the numbers of anglers who fished with spinning gear, and, there is some evidence that cane pole users also experience death. We have been awarded a government grant for $5 billion to study this and will continue to track the alarming mortality rate of fly anglers".

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

striblue

06-24-2004, 11:27 AM

Are they talking about accidents?? Or other factors like too much booze, depression, etc. I would really like to see the report. Sounds rediculious to me.

Dble Haul

06-24-2004, 11:50 AM

John, if you look between the lines you'll see that it's a joke. Eveyone eventually dies, and the chances go up the older one gets.

I thought that my chuckles at the end were a giveaway. ;)

striblue

06-24-2004, 12:12 PM

Got me.... But these days a survey like this really does not surprise me... Good one. :o

John Desjardins

06-24-2004, 12:20 PM

Mark, I thought this was going to be a BMJ article. They do have one issue a year with "news worthy" articles like this. Normally its dated April 1.

Sharp Steelie

06-24-2004, 12:39 PM

Good stuff! Maybe they should call a meeting to discuss
the findings :hihi: . The politicians need a new agenda
to support the lobyist. Uh Oh - might have to start another
survey so someone else can get paid to do absolutely
nothing of value!

:Eyecrazy:

soloflyfisher

06-24-2004, 01:14 PM

We die . . . but we die happy :)

FrenchCreek

06-24-2004, 01:23 PM

There is an often overlooked footnote in this report and it states;
" Many wives of fly fisherman consider their spouse to be as good as dead within 6 months to a year after taking up the sport. Further studies are planned for this type of mortality where subjects appear to remain functional in other manners of life"

ashbourn

06-24-2004, 01:26 PM

hehe :D
how many people do you know who have been fly fishing for 60 years.

MJC

06-24-2004, 01:39 PM

For a couple of lines you got me also, mainly because I was thinking of a response faster then I was reading. The response by the way started with "Oh BS", but I digress. The main thing that frightens me was down near the bottom where it states,

"We have been awarded a government grant for $5 billion to study this and will continue to track the alarming mortality rate of fly anglers".

In the real world there are all kinds of studies being done just as bogus as this one and our governments are passing out the $$$ faster then they can keep track of.
Now that is a subject we should all be studying. Take care, MJC

Moonlight

06-24-2004, 02:18 PM

Reminds me of the story I started about the cantankerous old Sod that was buried with his "Collection" of fine Bamboo fishing rods. I really should get around to finishing that!
In the intrest of promoting better health I will volunteer my services (with a modest per-diem for exspenses) to survey this troublesome and possibly deadly "Bamboo Exposure" :devil:

Dble Haul

06-24-2004, 02:40 PM

hehe :D
how many people do you know who have been fly fishing for 60 years.

I know two. One of them is our very own Art Burton.

Take a bow, Art! :smile:

Pete, your information is vital to this study and will be taken as such. In the interest of keeping the abstract short, I will suggest that the study director include your astute observations in the main body of the text. :wink:

soloflyfisher

06-24-2004, 03:45 PM

hehe :D
how many people do you know who have been fly fishing for 60 years.

Straight or with breaks for sleep?

Skilly

06-25-2004, 10:07 AM

I am working on the 6o year mark. Damn I hope by the time this survey is finished they extend it to 70 years :chuckle:

Skilly

Maxg

07-05-2004, 04:37 AM

It hasn't killed me yet, but eventually it will. Fly fishing is a fatal exercise, and its worse than AIDS because the only cure is dying. I'm sitting here and am living proof that the guys doing the survey are correct, a lot of guys from my era are dead, and I know I'm infected so its a foregone conclusion that it will expire me too. Max

Bob Pauli

07-05-2004, 09:52 AM

Humor on several levels--thanks!

Grampa Spey

07-05-2004, 10:53 AM

Great Pun of an Article!

If there were enough of us, this would become a campaign issue.

Greg Pavlov

07-05-2004, 07:17 PM

In the real world there are all kinds of studies being done just as bogus as this one and our governments are passing out the $$$ faster then they can keep track of.
Now that is a subject we should all be studying. Take care, MJC
That's grossly exaggerated, tho neocons make a big issue of it.

flydoc

07-05-2004, 09:42 PM

Still beats the REAL case of the guys who got a big grant to study homosexual behavior in seagulls.....hell, I see it all the time on South Beach, and dont' get paid a single penny..... :lildevl:
Doc Shep